AT Read or Die, we think about how to get more Filipinos reading, and reading more fiction and non-fiction written by Filipinos in particular.

Personally, I’m placing a lot of stock in the power of showbusiness in getting more people off their couches, and into bookstores.

Sounds silly? Maybe it does. After all, why would people look for a book if it’s already been made into a movie? Or, why would people want to go out and buy this particular romance novel (or series of romance novels) if a teleserye or radio drama has already been made out of it?

Well, we might be surprised. There are already numerous reports about how Hollywood drives up book sales in the United States and everywhere else in the world. Publishers of the Narnia books, for example, reported a remarkable increase in sales when the first Narnia movie, which was based on The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, came out in 2005 - 55 years after it was first printed!

A 2006 article in the New York Times titled "Backlist to the Future" has some interesting figures for us: "In 2004, Vintage shipped about 50,000 copies of ‘In Cold Blood’; this year, after the movie ‘Capote’ appeared, it shipped 400,000. Houghton Mifflin saw sales of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy rise 1,000 percent — to 25 million copies — when the movies were in theaters from 2001 to 2003. Surprise endorsements also help. When ‘The Letters of Abelard and Heloise,’ was mentioned in an episode of ‘The Sopranos,’ Penguin Classics saw a spike in sales of its edition."

’’One Hundred Years of Solitude’’ by Gabriel Garcia Marquez is another example - it enjoyed a spike in sales in the United States after it was billed as a selection in Oprah’s Book Club.

So here’s my question to local movie and TV producers: if you happen to be interested in literature too, why not invest in programs or segments that would foster greater interest in literature? Why not use the power of your chosen medium to promote Filipino-made books and comics?

WHY TIE-INS ARE PROFITABLE

It may stand to reason that publishers would profit more with an arrangement like this, but that’s not to say producers won’t profit at all! It won’t be a one-way street - while movies and TV programs promote books, books can also promote movies and TV programs. Here are some of the reasons why I think movie and TV tie-ins would be profitable for publishers and producers alike.

1) In the Philippines, movies and TV are far, far more accessible than books. Or, at least, books that cost above R100 and are more often than not identified as "highbrow literature" or scholarly reading.

People are generally more interested in visual media, as well! A PCIJ article by Alecks Pabico titled "Tactile Television" cites that two out of three Filipinos watch television every day. And that the average viewing time in the Philippines is three hours - less than the four hours a day that the average British or American spends in front of the box (let it not be said that we are a nation of couch potatoes!).

Simply saying that a movie/TV program was based on a novel or a comic is its own style of marketing. It would drive up the interest of his/her viewers, who would then think, "The story must be that good, to be turned into a movie!" It’s a powerful enough pull that experts in audio-visual entertainment found a certain story interesting enough to share with their faithful audience; the chances of assured patronage may be greater.

2) People who have seen and liked a movie or TV tie-in, will want to read the source material to see how faithful the tie-in was. On the other hand, people who have read a specific book and enjoyed it, would be curious to see if its audio-visual version is true to the text. Everybody wins!

3) Books and comics are an endless supply of story material. Not that there would ever be a lack of fresh ideas from network creative teams, but still - why turn down an opportunity for a ready-made plot outline (and even storyboard, in the case of comics)?

Incidentally, the power of comics in driving up literacy should definitely not be ignored. It’s easy enough to imagine that a comic book rendition of a novel would drive more people to seek that novel out, and even help them enjoy it! I know this was certainly what happened with me and the Hunchback of Notre Dame; I read the comics first, then found it much easier to read and appreciate the English translation of Victor Hugo’s classic novel with the images in my head.

A similar principle operates with movie and tv tie-ins. A movie retelling of the "Noli" or "El Fili" would establish "visual aids" that would help readers along, when it’s time for them to read the text. A more contemporary setting, using visual and musical elements that are familiar to modern audiences, would perhaps even help younger readers better identify with the characters and situations presented in classical text!

Just think of how much a reprint of the original Darna comics would sell if the TV renditions would reference actual chapters, and not simply invent new episodes for our beloved classic superheroine! Of course, the original comics would have to be made more widely available, but this is where publishing houses come in. Publishers would be in the best position to determine the conditions that would make a reprint profitable for them, and at the same time palatable to the reading public.

Of course, it’s not as simple as it sounds. For one thing, I don’t see this arrangement working if 1) the reading materials are hard to get a hold of or too expensive for the reading public to begin with, or if 2) a production team does not respect the source text enough, thus producing an audio-visual version that is so "beefed up" to become more sensational, that the story and the original "flavor" of the text is lost. Making a successful movie/tv tie-in of an established literary work - or even a novelization of a popular movie/tv presentation! - is a risky venture if there is a lack of dedication and coordination.

Nonetheless, I sincerely believe that it’s a venture worth looking into.

Source: Mb.com